Aimia Rejects Bid For Aeroplan
Aimia Inc. has rejected the the bid by Air Canada, The Toronto-Dominion Bank, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Visa Canada Corporation that would see them acquire Aimia’s Aeroplan loyalty business.
The bid was disclosed on July 25, 2018 and the deadline for Aimia to accept the proposal was Aug. 2, 2018.
Over the past several days, Air Canada, TD, CIBC and Visa have enhanced the offer and engaged in extensive discussions with Aimia in an attempt to reach an economically viable agreement.
The proposal would have ensured value and continuity for Aeroplan members as well as customers of Air Canada, TD, CIBC and Visa. As previously communicated, it would have also allowed Aeroplan Miles to transfer into Air Canada’s new loyalty program in 2020, providing convenience and value for millions of Canadians.
The July 25 proposal was for a total consideration of $2.25 billion, including $250 million in cash and the assumption of approximately $2 billion of Aeroplan points liability.
The proposal implied an estimated market equivalent value of $3.64 per Aimia share, a 52.3% premium to the 30-day VWAP and a 45.6% premium to the spot closing price as of July 24, 2018.
The market equivalent value was comprised of the Aeroplan loyalty business proposal value of $1.64 per Aimia common share plus non Aeroplan loyalty program net assets valued at $2.00 per common share based on fair market value estimates contained in Mittleman Investment Management’s Q1 2018 investor letter.
